Chapter 61

When she opened her eyes, it was already morning.

“Ugh…”

Clarette groaned unconsciously, her head throbbing as if it would split apart. She was terribly thirsty and her whole body felt heavy.

‘I’m sure I only drank about half…’

Clarette’s last memory stopped at the moment she had drunk exactly half of the pretty green liquor the pub owner had handed her. The drink wasn’t very tasty, but she’d thought that with just this much, she could have a pleasant conversation with the Duke.

‘But wait, my clothes?’

Clarette realized she was only wearing the thin slip under her dress.

‘I must have gotten really drunk last night. I didn’t even change into pajamas, just tossed off my outer dress. At least I made it back to the hotel…’

She was just barely relieved and about to get up when—

“Are you awake?”

Clarette froze for a moment as she made eye contact with the man lying next to her.

The owner of the voice was the Duke of Valentin. He lay leisurely with his elbow resting on the soft pillow, a cheerful smile on his face.

From the waist up, he wore nothing, showing off his sturdy, bare body…

“What, um, why… What are you doing here?”

Clarette malfunctioned. She couldn’t grasp the situation at all. Why was this man lying next to her, undressed?

Meanwhile, the Duke looked genuinely puzzled as he asked her,

“What do you mean? This is my room.”

“No, it’s not. It should be my room. Look, my clothes are hanging over there…”

“I took those off. The bottom was all wet.”

“What? What do you mean, wet?”

“Clarette, you don’t remember anything from last night? You got drunk and walked into the sea.”

“Me? I don’t remember at all…”

Clarette was shocked at her own drinking habits. Lionel watched her anxious eyes and whispered in an even softer voice,

“Really? Then you don’t remember what happened after?”

“…What happened?”

Clarette was scared even as she asked. Just getting drunk and walking into the sea was a huge mistake, but judging by the Duke’s reaction, she might have done something worse.

The Duke, with a gentle smile, affectionately recounted her actions.

“First, you lost your shoes. So I carried you all the way here.”

“I’m sorry, Duke. I was too…”

“I’m not finished. When I brought you here, your room key was missing. So I had no choice but to bring you to my room. Your clothes kept dripping seawater so you couldn’t stay in the hallway.”

“I see, I’m really sor—”

“Not done yet. I laid you on the bed and took off your wet dress, then suddenly you grabbed me and asked—”

<Your Grace, you’ve wanted to kiss me for a long time, haven’t you?>

“What? I did?”

“Yes. You were very bold.”

No way. Impossible. 

Clarette wanted to scream. She wished the Duke would stop talking.

But he continued, leisurely, as if recounting a pleasant memory.

“So I said, ‘Yes, I want to,’ and then…”

“And then…”

“You grabbed me by the collar.”

“No, I couldn’t have…”

“And said this—”

<Then just wait a little longer. When the time comes, I’ll kiss you myself.>

Lionel gazed at her with sparkling eyes, unable to hide his admiration.

“Ah, I was so thrilled. You’re the first woman who ever said that to me.”

Clarette had now transcended embarrassment and reached the realm of denial. She found only one hypothesis that could explain all this clearly.

“Your Grace. It seems you were very drunk last night too. Otherwise, this doesn’t make sense. What you saw was me in your dreams.”

“Oh, I was the one drunk? But Clarette, that’s not it.”

Lionel laughed quietly, as if he’d heard an absurd joke.

“If I’d really been drunk, you wouldn’t be like this right now.”

“What do you mean?”

Lionel didn’t answer, just gazed at her.

While Clarette nervously endured his gaze, Lionel’s hand slowly reached out, brushed aside her messy hair, and gently touched her soft cheek and dry lips.

He might try to kiss her. No, she didn’t want him to, not in this messy state. Clarette tensed up.

He smiled faintly, let go, and got out of bed first. When the blanket fell away, Lionel was dressed much like a n*de model—just in his underwear. As Clarette instinctively looked away, he spoke.

“Well then, Clarette. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Looking forward to what…?”

The Duke glanced back at her with a fresh smile.

“You’ve decided, haven’t you? To make me your first kiss.”

* * *

It was only natural that the two used separate cabins on the ship back to Genoa.

“Two standard cabins, one man and one woman.”

At the ticket counter, Clarette was firm. Lionel smiled at her confidently as she bought the tickets.

“That’s too bad. You don’t even toss and turn in your sleep, so it was really comfortable holding you.”

“You’ll sleep much better alone, Your Grace.”

Clarette quickly turned away, grabbed her luggage, and boarded the ship. Judging by the circumstances, the Duke had cleaned up after her drunken mess and then simply slept holding her, with her wearing only her slip.

“I’ll see you at the dining room tonight, Your Grace.”

“My room’s always open, so come by anytime.”

“Be sure to lock your door. See you later.”

So, three days passed on the ship with the Duke flirting whenever their eyes met and Clarette turning away. Clarette didn’t touch a drop of alcohol for three days, while Lionel drank in front of her as if to show off.

The ship they were on arrived in Genoa early in the morning. As Clarette naturally headed for the train station, the Duke stopped her.

“Wait. There’s somewhere I want to go.”

“Where?”

They headed to the Rosenta National Art Museum. Clarette remembered that the Duke had wanted to see her portrait.

“There are quite a lot of people. The building’s huge.”

As befitted the Empire’s largest museum, it consisted of a vast site and several buildings. Lionel looked at the entrance map, puzzled, and Clarette gently tugged his sleeve.

“This way, Your Grace. My portrait is in the east building.”

“You’ve been here many times?”

“Only as a child.”

It seemed she hadn’t visited since her portrait was displayed at age twenty. Lionel didn’t ask any more and quietly followed her.

The east wing was quite far. For the first time in his life, Lionel found the museum’s solemn atmosphere fascinating.

Each exhibition hall held various paintings, sculptures, and artifacts, and among the visitors, few spoke. It felt solemn, and everyone seemed deeply immersed in the artworks—strange and impressive.

Clarette wanted to be recognized by people like this. Serious, knowledgeable, and discerning people.

Lionel glanced at some paintings but soon lost interest, ending up just watching Clarette’s back.

She seemed happy to be at the museum after so long, walking slowly and pausing occasionally in front of some works. Lionel stood beside her, always glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

She knew about the Duke’s debt. Yet she never let it show and never left his side. In fact, she was even more considerate of him, wishing for his success.

So if he failed to pay off his debt—

Would she still stay by his side?

‘…Probably not.’

Such a hope was too shameless and pathetic. Lionel focused on the fact that nothing had changed much.

There was no big change. He’d simply learned that Clarette understood him more deeply than he thought—about the Duchy’s finances, and his desires.

<Duke, you want to sleep with me…>

Lionel recalled that moment on the beach and smiled unconsciously. He’d given plenty of hints, so he thought Clarette would notice. But hearing those words from her own mouth somehow left him feeling empty.

Of course, he did want to sleep with Clarette. He’d already done it countless times in his head, in dreams, and honestly, if she allowed it, he’d forget about paintings and head straight to the hotel.

But it wasn’t just her body he wanted.

Had Clarette not noticed that much? Or did she know his true desires and pretend not to?

To confirm, he would have to confess properly.

‘It’s all about timing.’

Lionel gazed quietly at her, always ready to drift away. He suddenly recalled the feeling when he saw her standing in the seawater on Tivenny’s last night—his heart dropping.

So beautiful, but so easy to lose.

“There it is. My portrait.”

Clarette finally turned to him. Staring into her slightly nervous green eyes, Lionel finally entered the last exhibition room.